Houston Dutch Lions
Full name | Dutch Lions Football Club | ||
---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Lions | ||
Founded | 2011 (as Texas Dutch Lions FC) | ||
Stadium |
HDL FC Soccer Facility Conroe, Texas | ||
Capacity | 1,500 | ||
Owner | Martin Kroeze | ||
Vice-President | Robbert Kroeze | ||
Head Coach | Marco Pruis | ||
League | National Premier Soccer League | ||
2016 |
1st, South Central Division Playoffs: QUA | ||
Website | Club home page | ||
| |||
The Dutch Lions FC is an American soccer club based in The Woodlands, Texas.[1] Founded in 2011, the team plays in the National Premier Soccer League, the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid, playing home games at the team owned Houston Dutch Lions FC Soccer Facility located in Conroe, Texas. The Houston Dutch Lions FC is a soccer club that operates all months of the year, the club partners with the Conroe Youth Soccer League (member of STYSA) and plays a fall season, spring season and summer season (Super Summer League). The club also hosts soccer camps such as a Thanksgiving break camp, Spring break camp and camps during the summer months. Since September, 2015 there is pick up soccer for Men and Women on Tuesday and Thursday evening making the club open to all ages and becoming a big factor in The Woodlands / Conroe community.
The club is owned by Martin Kroeze.
History
Texas Dutch Lions FC was founded on 17 November 2011, and played their inaugural season in the USL Premier Development League in 2012,[2] finishing 4th in the Mid South Division of the Southern Conference but missing the playoffs.
The Youth Academy of the club began training in 2011 with only one location in Conroe, Texas. In 2012, the Youth Academy expanded to its second training location to service players in The Woodlands.[1]
On 1 April 2013, Texas Dutch Lions FC changed their official name to Houston Dutch Lions FC. The club has been using the new title for several months, but it was not official until 1 April.[3]
On 12 February 2013, the club announced the signing of new head coach, former Dutch player Hans van Arum, for the 2013 season.[4]
On February 18, 2014 the Houston Dutch Lions FC announced the signing of Marco Pruis as their new Head Coach for the 2014 USL PDL season.[5]
Colors and badge
The Houston Dutch Lions FC crest is a modified version of Dayton's logo, featuring the white and blue field, with an orange lion centered on the crest. The script above the vector lion reads the club's name. The home shirt consists of an orange shirt, orange shorts & orange socks. Away the team plays in a white shirt.
Home ground
- Carl Barton Jr Soccer Park; Conroe, Texas (2011-2013)
- Houston Dutch Lions FC Soccer Facility; Conroe, Texas (2013–present)
Training ground
- Houston Dutch Lions FC Soccer Facility; Conroe, Texas (October 2013-). The fields are the training grounds of the teams: USL Premier Development League, National Premier Soccer League, HFA, and the club's Youth Academy. After the fields opening up in October 2014, the club opened a unique club house in May 2015. The club house consists of dressing rooms, club house for fans with A/C, restrooms and a banquet room. The top floor has 4 offices and two banquet rooms for the office staff.[6]
Club culture
International partnerships
The Houston Dutch Lions FC share in the partnership of their ownership group and sister club, Dayton Dutch Lions, with Dutch Eredivisie champions, FC Twente. On 17 January 2011, the Dutch Lions Group signed a five-year contract to foster development of players, academy teams, training practices, and possibly facilitate loans or transfers of players between teams.[7] In the 2014 season, the Cincinnati Dutch Lions FC were added (joined the PDL). As of the summer of 2015, the Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions FC (Cape Coral, FL) joined the Dutch Lions FC group.
On Thursday, May 5th, 2016 the Dutch Lions FC announced the signing of Heineken for their Dutch Lions FC NPSL squad.
Players and staff
Current roster
NPSL roster for the 2016 season:
- As of July 12th, 2016.[8]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Staff
- Executive staff
Position | Staff |
---|---|
President | Martin Kroeze |
Vice President | Robbert Kroeze |
CEO | Dennis Kroeze |
Technical Director | Marco Pruis |
Source:
- Coaching staff NPSL 2016 season
Position | Staff |
---|---|
Head Coach | Marco Pruis |
Assistant Coach | Michiel van de Heijning |
Assistant Coach | Jan Woering |
Team Manager | Maarten van der Wal |
Team Manager | Dan Hoskins |
Source:
Head coaches
- Robert Maaskant (2012)
- Hans van Arum (2013)
- Marco Pruis (2014–present)
Year-by-year
Year | Division | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | Open Cup | Record |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | 4 | USL PDL | 4th, Mid South | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 6-8-4 |
2013 | 4 | USL PDL | 5th, Mid South | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 4-7-3 |
2014 | 4 | USL PDL | 5th, Mid South | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 1-10-3 |
2015 | 4 | USL PDL | 4th, Mid South | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 4-6-2 |
2016 | 4 | NPSL | 2nd, South Central | South Regional semi-final | Qualified | 11-2-2 |
NPSL 2016 play offs: On Saturday, July 9th, 2016, the Dutch Lions FC beat FC Wichita in the South Conference semi-final with an impressive score of 5-0 (the division final four was played in Tulsa, OK). The Liverpool Warriors fell that same day to the Tulsa Athletics (1-3). The South Central Conference Title went to the Dutch Lions FC after the team beat the Tulsa Athletics with 2-1 on Sunday, July 10th. What followed was the South Regional semi-final vs Chattanooga FC (Tennessee), were the Dutch Lions FC lost with 4-0.
Average attendance
Attendance stats are calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from the historical match archive at http://www.uslsoccer.com/history/index_E.html
- 2012: 120
- 2013: 150
- 2014: 175
- 2015: 200
- 2016: 275
References
- 1 2 "Dutch Lions: History". Dutch Lions. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- ↑ "Dutch Lions FC Join USL PDL". USL PDL. 17 November 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- ↑ "Houston Dutch Lions Announce Official Name Change". Houston Dutch Lions. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- ↑ "Dutch Lions Announce New Coach". USL PDL. 12 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- ↑ "Houston Dutch Lions FC announces new Head Coach PDL team". Houston Dutch Lions. 18 February 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
- ↑ "HDLFC Soccer Complex". Houston Dutch Lions. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- ↑ "Dutch Lions Ink 5-Year Partnership". USL PDL. 17 January 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- ↑ "NPSL Team". Houston Dutch Lions. Retrieved 15 August 2014.